Manifesto Is Zul Noordin's Edge in Battle for Shah Alam Bernama 30 April, 2013 by Fadzli Ramli SHAH ALAM

Manifesto Is Zul Noordin's Edge In Battle For Shah Alam Bernama 30 April, 2013 By Fadzli Ramli

SHAH ALAM (Bernama) -- The Shah Alam parliamentary seat is set to be the scene of a stiff battle between Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Datuk Zulkifli Noordin and incumbent Abdul Khalid Abdul Samad of PAS, come May 5.

The fight, to say the least, has been described as unique.

Zulkifli was from the opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) before he repented, and has been entrusted to shoulder the challenge to wrest back the seat from Abdul Khalid.

In the intensive campaign for the support of voters since last week, Zulkifli clearly has the edge due to the BN manifesto which promises a better future for the people of Selangor, especially now that Selangor BN is led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

As the capital of Selangor, the Shah Alam city, known as the Orchid City, and with a population of 650,000, is vital in that it serves as a yardstick for BN to return to power in Selangor.

In the event Shah Alam can be recaptured from PAS - and Zulkifli is very confident he can do it - it will pave the way for BN to be in power again in Selangor.

Previously, Shah Alam was a BN stronghold. Since GE7 in 1986, it was won by Rahmah Osman, followed by Rakibah Abd Manap and Salamon Selamat. In fact, Selangor General Election deputy director Datuk Seri Mohd Zin Mohamed won the seat at the GE10 in 1999.

On the BN manifesto for GE13, investment banker Nor Razlan Abdul Muhid, 38, from Shah Alam, said the offer from BN gave hope to the city's residents on the resolution of numerous problems, ranging from the high cost of houses to the question of child care.

"The BN manifesto has advantages because it is the manifesto of an attacker, despite it appearing to be too good to be true, I am not worried because BN has a record as a political party which fulfills its promise. This is a genuine offer to the people of Selangor and Shah Alam, not like the other party.

"Most interesting to me is the effort to uphold again the position of the Selangor Foundation which is directly responsible for the education of our children. This foundation is important for my children and grandchildren, and also other young generations of Selangor," he said.

Zulkifli said the Selangor BN manifesto could give a better life to the residents of Shah Alam, including cheaper housing, 'Love Selangor People's Transit House', which is the best way to help the less fortunate to build a life in Shah Alam, and getting rid of the problem of homeless people.

According to the electoral roll, as of April 9, the Shah Alam parliamentary constituency has 99,957 registered voters comprising Malays (69.93 per cent), Chinese (14.94 per cent), Indians (14.18 per cent) and others making up the rest.

The area has two state seats, namely, Batu Tiga and Kota Anggerik. Each will see a three-cornered fight.

For the Batu Tiga seat, BN candidate Datuk Ahmad Nawawi M Zin will square off against incumbent Rodziah Ismail of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and independent Mohd Uzi Che Hussin while for Kota Anggerik, the contest involves BN candidate Mohd Yusof Din, PKR incumbent Yaakob Sapari and Independent Eriq Faisal Rusli.